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Starting today, Croatia’s Pelesac Bridge allows travelers to bypass some border checkpoints. The 2.4 kilometer long structure, one of the most ambitious projects of its kind since Zagreb declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1991, will transform travel in the Balkans.
“The bridge means new life in the dreams of the people who live on this side, as well as for the rats that fly to Dubrovnik. Now we will be able to travel by road without having to cross border points,” said Smilja Delic.
“I think things will be simpler in Peljesac. We will no longer depend only on ferries, we will no longer have to wait at two border points. The waiting there was often tiring and troublesome, creating dissatisfaction among the people living here. Apart from that, the road to the neighboring cities is also much shorter,” said Sabina Mikulic
Locals think that such a step will also greatly help tourism, which has been hit hard by two years of the pandemic. The Pelesac Bridge practically makes traveling to the Croatian coast easier, without having to cross the border into Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Drivers on the southern Croatian coastal road currently have to pass a border checkpoint in Bosnia and Herzegovina before re-entering Croatia – which is a European Union territory. Croatia is due to be admitted to the free movement zone, Schengen, in 2024, and going through Bosnia would be a massive obstacle for it.
Work on the bridge designed by Slovenian Marjan Pipenbacher began in 2018, after the European Union agreed to cover 85 percent of the cost, while Croatia 15 percent. The total cost of the project is 438 million dollars. A Chinese corporation won the tender for the construction of the four-lane bridge.
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